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Writer's pictureKirsty Whitlock

The Family Next Door by Caroline Finnerty. Review.


Book Description



No one really knows what goes on behind closed doors.


On the quiet street of St Brigid’s Terrace in Dublin, Eileen Murphy lives alone at number 26 with her

dog Dora. Virtually a recluse, she keeps herself to herself as she tries to come to terms with her

tragic past.


Next door in number 28 lives beautiful Lucy Walsh, her husband Neil and their 5-year-old daughter

Anabel. To Eileen, who watches from her window, the Walshes are the perfect family.


But one fateful night, Eileen is pulled into their world and she realises that Lucy Walsh’s life isn’t as

perfect as she thought.


With the unexpected help from little Anabel, the women become a lifeline for each other to

overcome the demons in their lives.


Through Eileen’s help, Lucy finds the courage to overcome her fears and in aiding Lucy, Eileen is

forced to emerge from her solitary world and take baby steps to confront her own past.


As the bonds of friendship change these women forevermore will Lucy find the courage to forge a

new life for herself and her daughter and will Eileen find it within herself to forgive for her old

mistakes?




BLOG TOUR REVIEW



Review for 'The Family Next Door' by Caroline Finnerty.


Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Caroline Finnerty, Boldwood Books, Book And Tonic and Rachel's Random resources Tours.



Publication date 27th July 2023.



This is the first book I have read by this author but it definitely won't be my last!!



This novel consists of 48 chapters. The chapters are short in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!


'The Family Next Door' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Caroline discusses mental health issues, violence and domestic abuse.



I really enjoyed reading this page turning family drama that had me turning the pages from the moment I started it in the morning until I finished it a few hours later. It is one of those books that I just didn't have any will power to put down as I just had to know exactly what was going to happen next and so I ended up walking around with my nose glued to my kindle!! It is an emotional rollercoaster ride that will leave you thinking about what happened long after you have finished the last chapter. Caroline does an amazing job of weaving such important topics such as domestic violence and mental health problems into an absolutely gripping page turner. I am a huge believer of the fact that these are both very important topics and issues that need to be discussed and talked about more in order for people to understand more and how to recognise signs and how to help victims of either and one of the best ways to share awareness, especially for those who need support, is in a fiction book as, especially in the case of domestic abuse the signs can be so subtle and the instigator tends to watch everything so it would be hard to pick up a leaflet or similar to discover the signs and Under that what is happening isn't normal. I won't say anymore about that as I don't want to give anything away but a huge well done to Caroline for helping to spread awareness of both mental health and domestic violence. The storyline is absolutely addictive and is filled with friendship, emotions, heartbreak, secrets, jealousy, love, tension, suspense and so much more!! Lucy and Eileen are both strong, realistic and very likeable characters and I was completely invested in them both from beginning to end. Caroline's evocative writing skills ensures that not just the storyline comes to life in front of the reader but so do all the characters. I enjoyed seeing how their friendship and personalities changed and developed throughout the book and I was rooting for them both throughout. This book really does go to show that you never know what happens behind closed doors, things aren't always how they seem and never to judge people as you don't know what is going on in their lives. Appearances really can be deceiving!!! It really is a thought provoking, emotional and page turning domestic thriller/drama. I love the fact that Caroline included Eileen's dog Dora. I am a huge animal lover and any animals in books are always a huge bonus for me!!! I enjoyed reading the book from multiple protagonists perspectives as it helps to give the bigger picture of what is going on and Caroline did a fantastic job of weaving their stories together perfectly. This would make a great movie which I would love to watch and I am definitely looking forward to reading more books by this very talented author!!


Clear your schedules, get the tissues ready and get ready to go on an emotional rollercoaster ride!! I am looking forward to reading more of Caroline's books which all look just as good as this one!!!


Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the first chapter of Caroline's 'A Sister's Promise' which promises to be just as addictive as this book and is one I'm definitely looking forward to reading myself!!


Overall an emotionally packed family drama filled with tension and suspense along with many life lessons that we can all learn from!!!!




281 pages.


This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle, free with kindle unlimited and £11.15 in paperback, at time of review, via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!


Rated 4/5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.


Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews.




@TheFamilyNextDoor @CarolineFinnerty @cfinnertywriter @RachelsRandomResources @rararesources @BoldwoodBooks @BoldwoodBloggers @BookAndTonic @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86 @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86 @Goodreads @Amazon @AmazonKindle @Bookstagram @BookBlogger @KindleUnimited @Netgalley

















Author Bio


Caroline Finnerty is an Irish author of heart-wrenching family dramas and has compiled a non-fiction

charity anthology. She has been shortlisted for several short-story awards and lives in County Kildare

with her husband and four young children.





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